U.S. Moves to Block AT&T, T-Mobile USA Deal

Telecom industry analysts have only begun to consider the ramifications of the U.S. Justice Department suing to block AT&T's takeover of wireless carrier T-Mobile USA (via Bloomberg). Immediate reactions are polarized: see comments at The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog. AT&T will likely fight for the takeover deal in federal court, lest it be on the hook for a reported $6 billion breakup fee (via Reuters and The Atlantic).

Lil Wayne’s ‘Carter IV’ Now Aiming For 850,000 Debut (Billboard)

Yesterday (Aug. 29), initial first-week sales projections for Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter IV” were hovering in the 700,000-850,000 range, but now, after a full day’s worth of sales under its belt, that number has grown. Industry sources now suggest the album may shift over 850,000-900,000 by week's end on Sept. 4....

Carl Icahn Ends Fight to Seize Control of Lions Gate (Los Angeles Times)

Carl Icahn has given up on his long and costly attempt to capture a Hollywood lion. Ending a three-year battle that included a trio of lawsuits and tender offers, and nearly $25 million in legal costs for the shareholders of the Santa Monica studio, the corporate raider has reached a settlement with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. to sell almost all of his 33 percent stake in the company....

Facebook Plans to Launch Music Platform in September (CNBC)

Facebook plans to launch a music platform at its f8 conference in San Francisco on 9/22, a source with knowledge of the plans tells CNBC. The social network’s music platform launch has been long rumored, but has not yet materialized....

Subscription Movie Service Moviepass Gets a Second Chance (GigaOm)

After a false start earlier this summer, Moviepass might finally be able to launch its subscription movie ticket service, thanks to a partnership with theater voucher provider Hollywood Movie Money. The deal breathes new life into Moviepass, which had its first effort to create a Netflix-like, all-you-can-eat subscription plan shut down by movie theaters that threatened not to honor its tickets in late June....

Despite Apple’s Denial, iTunes Match is Streaming (MacRumors)

Yesterday (Aug. 29), we reported that the developer beta of Apple’s iTunes Match appeared to show options for both streaming and downloading content from the cloud to a user’s device. But some questions have arisen about just how the service functions, as a new report from AllThingsD shares word from an Apple spokesperson that the service is not actually a streaming one....

Amazon Looks To Capture Early Disc Sales for Hit Film ‘The Help’

As “The Help” closes in on $100 million in box office receipts (via Box Office Mojo), Amazon looks to capitalize on the film’s rave reception by running a preorder promotion for the presumed Blu-ray edition. DreamWorks and Walt Disney Pictures reportedly have yet to announce a home entertainment release date for the film, which is in its fourth week in theaters. But Amazon customers who preordered a Blu-ray/DVD/digital copy edition of the film could receive a $5 coupon and a low-price guarantee from the online retailer. Details at Blu-ray.com.

U.S. Moves to Block AT&T, T-Mobile Deal

Telecom industry analysts have only begun to consider the ramifications of the U.S. Justice Department suing to block AT&T's takeover of wireless carrier T-Mobile USA (via Bloomberg). Immediate reactions are polarized: see comments at The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog. AT&T will likely fight for the takeover deal in federal court, lest it be on the hook for a reported $6 billion breakup fee (via Reuters and The Atlantic).

Warner, Sony Back New Social Networking Movie Download Service

Upstart movie rental and electronic sellthrough platform Flickme.com launched Aug. 30, featuring thousands of catalog titles from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

San Mateo, Calif.-based Flickme separates itself from the transactional VOD field by incorporating users’ social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter into its platform. New users can create memberships and log on through their Facebook or Twitter accounts.

More importantly, new users can share their movie rental discounts with up to 10 social network friends.

Home entertainment studios increasingly believe movie rentals and sellthrough can be promoted and influenced through social media. Specifically, word-of-mouth on a movie via chat rooms, blogs and email threads can greatly influence a title’s performance at retail.

It is this belief that prompted Warner Bros. to recently acquire online movie recommendation site Flixster.com.

“Fans sharing discounts with friends is a great way to get groups of people watching the same movie around the same time,” said Thomas Gewecke, president of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “This opens the door for social interactions that greatly enrich the digital movie watching experience.”

Warner, Sony and other studios also offer select catalog titles for rent directly on Facebook, payable by credit card or Facebook credits.

“Social networks are already a tremendously important marketing tool, but [Flickme.com] goes one step further to harness the power of social media for distribution by getting fans engaged in recommending titles after the initial studio marketing campaign,” said John Calkins, EVP of global digital and commercial innovation at SPHE.

Flickme was founded in early 2011 by entrepreneurs Mitch Galbraith and Mark Smallcombe. The pair received funding from Sequoia Capital, the same venture firm that funded Google, Apple, YouTube and Linkedin.
 

Youkou Streams DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Panda’ Films in China

Chinese online video site Youku.com continues to add Hollywood content to its movie streaming service, announcing a deal Monday with DreamWorks Animation for distribution of the studio’s two “Kung Fu Panda” films. Both “Kung Fu Panda” titles (which are distributed by Paramount Pictures) have debuted on Youku Premium, the site’s paid video-on-demand service. They subsequently will screen for free on Youku’s Hollywood Movie Channel. Youku also offers paid streams of Warner Bros. movies, including films from the “Harry Potter” franchise, under an agreement to distribute as many as 500 of the studio’s films. Prices per play are less than $1, as studios look to compete with China’s rampant disc piracy (via the Los Angeles Times). More on Youku and the Chinese market for streaming video at The Wall Street Journal. In other Chinese movie market news, 3D technology developer RealD has signed an agreement with Beijing SAGA Luxury Cinema Management, a high-end cinema start-up, to outfit current and planned SAGA theaters with 3D projection equipment. SAGA says it currently has eight cinemas in operation or under construction; the RealD agreement envisions 3D screens in 100 auditoriums across SAGA’s circuit. RealD already has a deal with Wanda Cinemas, China’s largest cinema chain, to install 3D projection technology on up to 500 screens.

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New CPS Sites as of Feb. 17, 2012

Cinema Production Complex, Ukraine

ENS, Sweden

Sony DADC, Austria

Sony DADC, UK

New CPS Applicants as of Feb. 17, 2012

Arvato, Wednesbury, UK

LaserVideo, Russia

Sony DADC,  Shizouoka, Japan

Sony DADC, Ibaraki, Japan

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  November 19, 2011

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